During the last decade, the utilization of 68Ga for the development of imaging agents has increased considerably with the leading position in the oncology. The imaging of infection and inflammation is lagging despite strong unmet medical needs. This review presents the potential routes for the development of 68Ga-based agents for the imaging and quantification of infection and inflammation in various diseases and connection of the diagnosis to the treatment for the individualized patient management.

Conclusions:

The medical need for specific agents for noninvasive, quantitative, and whole-body imaging of inflammation and infection has not been met yet despite decades of research. However, the prerequisites in terms of identification of potential targets, design and synthesis of the respective ligands, and imaging technologies are evolving very fast. The potential of accurate and quantitative lesion localization as well as monitoring of the treatment response promises personalized patient management.

The use of 68Ga in oncology is established proving the strong potential of 68Ga for the promotion of PET technology for effective and efficient diagnostics and personalized medicine. The experience of oncological 68Ga-based agents is getting translated to inflammation and infection. Pretargeted imaging technology opens wide possibilities based on antibody biomarkers.